SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Police are trying to stop a recent rash of car break-ins in downtown Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake cops are onto it, but car burglars are still slipping through their fingers. "There's a car prowl problem," said Deputy Chief Rick Findlay, Salt Lake Police Dept.
Right now police tell ABC 4 they're seeing a spike in car break-ins in downtown Salt Lake.
"There's a hot spot for car prowls in the area between the Gateway apartments and the area around 4th South and State Street," said Findlay.
"Does that make you nervous to park your car downtown?" Reporter Brian Carlson asked a downtown shopper.
"Yah, maybe," said Ethan Cho, downtown shopper.
"It makes me nervous to park outside downtown," said Elyse Dial, downtown shopper.
Cops are concerned about valet parking lots often used by fans attending Utah Jazz games. They said break-ins in these lots are usually high.
"Aaron detects a pattern here that could indicate maybe some inside information coming from the valets in some of the lots down here," said Findlay.
Monday night they set up a sting operation to catch car burglars in the act. They placed purses and other valuables in cars out in plain sight, but no one took the bait. However, they said that doesn't mean crooks won't take it from you.
"I think I'll start putting things in the trunk," said Andrew Stewart, downtown shopper.
"Already when I park my car if I have an iPad I put it underneath my seat or I don't put my computer in there," said Dial.
Follow Brian Carlson on Twitter: @tv_briancarlson
